10 Greatest Generals of World War II

In this article, we pay tribute to the best generals of World War II. The fate of the whole world could have been different if we didn’t need them to make the most troublesome decisions and to direct the troops in times of great despair.

They followed a particular set of principles. They had to live according to it or to die for its own sake. They inspired thousands of men and fearful millions.

This is a list of the 10 greatest generals in World War II.

1. Erwin Rommel (1891-1944)

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Erwin Rommel, known as the Desert Fox, was the most distinguished general in the World War II. He wasn’t among the good men, since he fought on Germany’s side, but this didn’t influence his qualities as a general.

A highly decorated officer, he won the esteem of both of his men and his enemies. This was mainly because he wasn’t only a good commander, but also a fantastic human being. Rommel and his troops were not accused of war crimes and the soldiers he captured were well handled.

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Sadly, there’s absolutely no room here to explain all his military accomplishments but you can cite that the invasion of France, the battle of Arras, the North African campaign in addition to his awesome ghost branch.

He was truly among the best generals of World War II! Sadly, he died being convinced to commit suicide in order to prevent prosecution and execution and to protect his loved ones.

2. ERICH VON MANSTEIN (1887-1973)

Manstein was a German Field Mareshal during the World War II. He became a very prominent commander during the war and he had been treasured by his fellow officers for being a skilled strategist.

Menstein was the mastermind behind the Ardennes-offensive and he was commended for the many battles he won. However, the general was dismissed from service by Hitler in 1944, due to their frequent quarrels over military strategy.

3. GEORGE PATTON (1885-1945)

Patton was also among the best generals of World War II. He’s famed for his leadership as well as for the victories he won from the Nazis. In 1944, Patton received the control of the U.S. third military.

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He was able to ‘give wings’ to his troops and the Third Army advanced further, captured more enemies and free more lands in less time than any other military in military history.

Nazi military leaders considered him the Allies’ best commander and expected he would lead a cross-channel invasion.

As part of the elaborate disinformation campaign leading up to D-Day, Patton was placed in charge of a phantom army, complete with plywood aircraft and inflatable rubber tanks, in southeast England to make it appear he would strike at the channel’s narrowest point at Pas de Calais, France.

4. DOUGLAS MACARTHUR (1880-1964)

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He was a much esteemed general of the US military. He played a very important role in the Pacific theater during the World War II. As recognition to its own values, he received the Medal of Honor, as his father did during the World War I.

He was also among the five guys ever to be named General of the Army from the U.S. Army and the first guy ever to become marshal of the Philippine Army (1936), an acknowledgement of his efforts in training and creating the Philippine armed forces. These distinctions speak greatly of his many military qualities.

5. BERNARD MONTGOMERY (1887-1976)

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Montgomery (nicknamed ‘Monty’) was an officer who fought both in World War I and World War II. He commanded the 8th Army from 1942 from the Western Desert until the final Allied victory in Tunisia. The complete period of time he spent in the British Army was of 50 years (from 1908 to 1958).

Montgomery was also the planner of this D-Day invasion in Normandy and he commanded the Allied ground forces during the famous Battle of Normandy.

This remarkable general also met Rommel on the battle, whom he conquered many times throughout the North African campaign, reason for which he received the Legion of Merit by the USA government.

6. GUY SIMONDS (1903-1974)

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Among the most efficient generals during the World War II, Simonds was a Canadian Army officer who commanded the II, had a decisive role in the Allied victory in the Battle of Scheldt (1944).

A excellent leader and a skillful officer, he was the youngest corps commander in the British army, in age forty-one. He was also the youngest Canadian to lead a branch in action.

7. KONSTANTIN ROKOSOVSKY (1885-1957)

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Konstantin Rokosovsky was a Marshal of the Soviet Union as well as marshal of Poland and Polish Defense Minister. He was a really distinguished commander, being valued for his great military abilities, which he best proved on the Eastern Front.

In 1937, Rokosovski became swept up in Stalin’s Great Purge and accused of being a Polish spy. He was severly torutured and escaped execution after showing his innocence. He had been reabilitated in 1940, when he was offered the command of the 5th Cavalry corps.

Considered among the best generals of World War II and among the finest Russian strategists of all time, Rokosovsky is famous for having argued with Stalin upon the best approach to adopt for the Operation Bagration.

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Stalin requested Rokosovski three times to reevaluate his position, but he refused to compromise. Stalin finally agreed to his plan and the overall obtained a wonderful victory which strengthened his standing.

8. GEORGY ZHUKOV (1896 – 1974)

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He was a Russian career officer in the Red Army who had a great significance in all the significant operations conducted on the European front, including the beating of Berlin.

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He’s the most decorated general in the whole Russian background, after playing crucial roles in these conflicts as: the battle of Moscow, the defense of Stalingrad the conflict Kursk and the operation Bagration.

9. ISOROKU YAMAMOTO (1884-1943)

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Isoroku Yamamoto was a amazing admiral and the commander in chief of the Japanese combined fleet. Apparently, he had warned his president that Japan couldn’t be victorious upon the USA military for over 6 months.

He was the mastermind behind the attack on Pearl Harbor. He wasn’t satisfied with the end result of this attack, as no American aircraft carriers could be ruined.

Hence , he strove to rehabilitate himself by fighting other Important battles, but the outcomes weren’t the expected ones: despite his uncontested abilities, he suffered significant losses and was defeated every time. Among the most famous of those battles was the Battle of Midwest that represented a real tragedy for the Japanese troops.

10. TOMOYUKI YAMASHITA (1885-1946)

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This is one of the best generals of the Japanese Imperial Army . He’s renowned for having defeated the British colonies of Malaya and Singapore, which earned him the nickname ‘the tiger of Malaya’. Yamashita was a cautious person and advocated that Japan should maintain peace with the British Empire as well as with the United States of America.

Thus,he had been assigned minor posts until the end of 1940. However, at this time, he had been given a secret mission to Germany and Italy, during which he met both Hitler and Mussolini. The intrusion of Manila was marked by war crimes but the culpability of the general in this matter wasn’t fully established. But he had been sentenced to death and executed in 1946.

This is our top ten list of the best generals of World War 2. Have we missed someone? Let us know in the comments below.

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TEN.info (The Educational Network) combines the pursuit of interesting and intriguing facts with the innate human desire to rank and list things.
From its humble beginnings in 2006 up until now, TEN.info has served millions of hungry minds.

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About TEN.info

TEN.info (The Educational Network) combines the pursuit of interesting and intriguing facts with the innate human desire to rank and list things.

From its humble beginnings in 2006 up until now, TEN.info has served millions of hungry minds, has been mentioned in big publications like the New York Times, and is continuing to find new ways of consistently conciliating your curiosity.